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Hesitation Blues is the name of a popular song written by Billy Smythe, Scott Middleton and Art Gillham.

The three men were involved in the music publishing business in St. Louis, Missouri. About 1914 they joined a band and went to Los Angeles. They passed their traveling time making up verses to a traditional tune. When they returned to St. Louis the trio went their separate ways. Art Gillham remained in St. Louis, Billy Smythe went to Louisville, Smythe's brother-in-law Scott Middleton went to Chicago. In 1915 Billy Smythe published their musings as Hesitation Blues but not crediting Art Gillham.

A dispute over the credits was resolved a few years later when Art Gillham and Billy Smythe began writing other songs as a team with the sheet music stating "by the writers of Hesitation Blues". Art Gillham - The Whispering Pianist performed the song on radio and in February, 1925 recorded it for Columbia Records as one of the first electrical recordings. The song was republished in 1926 giving credit to the three writers. The 1926 publication was a different arrangement with different lyrics added to the 1915 publication.

The traditional tune was also arranged by W.C. Handy and published in 1915 as Hesitating Blues. The lyrics were entirely different from those of Hesitation Blues. Because the tune is a traditional tune many artists have recorded Hesitation Blues crediting themselves as writer, though frequently the lyrics of the 1926 publication are used. The song is played as blues and sometimes as western swing.

Among those recording Hesitation Blues were

• Al Bernard
• Eva Taylor
• Sara Martin
• Clarence Williams
• Duke Ellington
• Wingy Manone
• James P. Johnson
• Earl Hines
• Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter
• Barney Bigard
• Hot Tuna
• Janis Joplin

The band Steely Dan also did a version of the song on Marian McPartland's radio show Piano Jazz. A recording of Steely Dan's sessions with McPartland was released.